Perpetual inventory.



E. C. ALBREE. PERPETUAL INVENTORY. APPLIOATION P ILBD 1111.11.21, 1908.

Patented vMay 1l, 1909.

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EDWARD C. ALBREE, OF SWAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ALBREE SELF FIGURING SYSTEM COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS7 A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

PERPETUAL INVENTORY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1 1, 1909.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD C. ALBREE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Swampscott, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Perpetual Inventories, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

In factories, warehouses and similar places it is desirable to keep a record of the stock on hand which shall at any time be in the condition to show exactly the amount of stock on hand as well as other similar information. Such a record is commonly known as a perpetual inventory. Various devices for keeping this perpetual inventory have been devised, but all of these, so far as is known to me, involve a considerable amount of calculation or figuring to keep them in a condition to give the required information when de sired. This is particularly true when goods are frequently shipped and received so that the totals are constantly varying.

My invention has for its object to produce a system which shall give the desired information but which shall not require any figuring or calculation to keep it up to date.

My improved system is adapted to keep a record not only of the goods ordered, received, and shipped, this information being obtained from records made directly upon the cards or slips, but also of certain other information obtained from comparison of the amounts recorded on the slips. The last mentioned class of information may be called for convenience comparative information and includes such things as the goods on hand, this information being obtained from a comparison of the amounts received and the amounts shipped, and the amount the factory is behind its orders, which is obtained from a comparison of the orders and receipts. It is thus seen that the system is adapted to furnish both direct and comparative information, and that the amount of comparative information to be obtained is dependent upon the number of kinds of direct information recorded. If three cards are employed, each for recording a single piece of direct information, three pieces of comparative information may be obtained therefrom, if four cards are used, six pieces of comparative information are obtainable, and so on.

The invention is embodied in slips or cards divided into spaces of uniform size arranged in columns of equal height and provided with a system of numerals; and the said cards or slips are provided with holes at certain predetermined points so that the numerals on one card may be read through the holes in another card which is super-posed upon the first mentioned card.

In its simplest embodiment, my system. is readily adapted to keep a record of transactions relating to any number of pieces of goods up to one thousand, or if an accuracy greater than ten pieces is not required, a record of ten thousand pieces may be kept on one card by using each space to represent ten pieces instead of one piece. In cases where it is necessary or desirable to keep account of more than the number of pieces above referred to, and an accuracy greater than one tenth of one per cent. is required, I provide a series of index figures in the corners of the cards and marginal indices upon the sides of the card which have the effect of enlarging the field of the card and enable me to keep a record of any number of pieces and with any desired accuracy.

In the system embodying my present invention, the direct information may be obtained directly from the cards by reading the numberin the space next above a punch mark and the comparative information may be obtained by superposing two of the cards in a position with relation to each other determined by the punch marks and reading the result through one of the holes previously mentioned.

In the following description, the cards are shown as divided into one thousand spaces provided with numerals in multiples of ten so that without the use of indices the system has an accuracy of one-tenth of one per cent., but of course it will be understood that this may be varied as desired, other units being employed. l,

The printing on the main field of all the cards is the saine and the cards for the various pieces ofi/'direct information will sometimes be exactly alike and in othercases so nearly alike as to cause confusion and error unless adequate means be employed to prevent it therefore, I give to each class of cards some distinctive color or mark by means of which they are readily distinguished, all the cards used for recording any one piece of direct information being oi' the same color. I have, therefore, denominated them as cards of Vdistinctive character.

The invention will be iully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereoll are pointed out and clearly deiined in the claims at the close of the specification. l

In the drawings, the invention isy shown as embodied in aperpetual inventory adapted to record three pieces oll direct information, to wit, (a), the amount of goods ordered; (b), received; and (c), shipped; and three pieces y rof comparative or indirect iniori iation, to

wit, (a) the amount which the orders exceed the receipts or vice versa; (b), the amount oll goods on hand, and (c) the amount the orders exceed the shipments or vice versa. This involves the use of three cards or slips oll distinctive character. Four or more distinctive cards may be employed when additional information is required; two cards may be employed where less information is required.

In the drawings, I have not thought it necessary to show numerals in each ol' the spaces, but I have shown sulicient numerals to make my invention and its use entirelyT clear. I have also indicated the different colors oi' the cards by cross hatching a portion only of said cards, so that the remainder of the drawing may not be obscured. In practice the cards are made from colored card-board or paper.

In the drawings,-Figure 1 is a view ol' the face of a card upon which the record of the amount ol goods ordered is kept. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the card l'or keeping the record of the amount oi' goods received. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the card upon which is recorded the amount ol goods shipped. Fig. 4 is a view oi a card to be used when the number oi' pieces ordered is between ten and twenty thousand. Fig. 5 is a view of a card to be used when the number of pieces ordered is between twenty and thirty thousand. Fig. 6 is a view o'l' a card to be used when the number oi pieces ordered is between thirty and 'forty thousand. Fig. 7 is a view of the card shown in Fig. 3 superposed upon the card shown in Fig. 2 i'or the purpose oi' determining the amount of goods on hand. Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the card shown in Fig. 3 superposed upon the card shown in Fig. 6 for the purpose oi' determining the amount of goods ordered but not received.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1,-there is shown therein a card 11 upon which a record of the number of pieces ordered is kept. A portion of this card is divided into spaces 12 which are of equal size and arranged in columns of equal height. The spaces 12 are provided with a series of progressive numerals 13,.

starting in the space next above that in the lower right hand corner of the card and each ol' said numerals is placed in the space next above that to which it applies in order that it may not be obliterated by punching. Each space in the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings represents ten pieces. Therefore, this card which is provided with one thousand spaces is adapted to keep a record of ten thousand pieces.

The progressive numerals 13 form an arithmetical series and follow a predetermined path among the spaces on the card, said path starting at the lower right hand corner; it then follows up the said column to the top thereof, then irom'the bottom up the second column, and so on ending at the top of the extreme left hand column.

Below the lowest numbered space of the right hand column of spaces I make a hole 14 of a size suiliciently large so that one of the numerals contained in the spaces may be read through it if the said card be superposed upon another similar card. A similar hole 15 is made in the margin and adjacent the top space in the right hand column of spaces when the path follows the route hereinbefore described. Another hole 16 is made in the card in the extreme upper left hand corner of the printed Field ol the card in the iorm shown herein; and a fourth hole 17 in theside margin 1S adjacent the lower left hand space, this space being unnumbered as previously described. From the foregoing, it will be seen that the second hole is at a predeter- 100 mined distance measured along the predetermined path from the -lirst hole equal to the length oi' the column of spaces, and the last two holes are separated from each other by a like distance. These holes are subsequently 105 referred to as holes or corner holes to distinguish them from the punch marks employed to designate a particular space. At the top left hand corner of the card 1 1 shown in Fig. 1 is placed the word .Ordered'to in- 110 dicate that the card is employed to keep a record of the goods ordered. As previously stated, the card 11 shown in Fig. 1 is preferably made of a distinctive color. In the drawings, I have indicated this fact by cross 115 hatching a portion of the ield of the card to indicate red. f

In Fig. 2 there is shown a card 19, upon which is kept a record of the goods received. This card is exactly similar to the card 11 120 shown in Fig. 1 except that it is of a blue color and has a notch 2O at the upper left hand corner so that when placed upon the card 11 the word HO'rdered on the card v shown in Fig. 1 will not be covered up. This 125 card is provided with the word Received adjacent the said notch 20.

In Fig. 3 there is shown a third card 21 of a yellow color, upon which is recorded the number of pieces shipped, and this card is the 13 0 same as the other two cards except that it has a larger notch 22, and is provided with the word Shipped in the middle ofthe top. The two cards 19 and 21 are provided with holes 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27, 28, 29, and 30, respectively, located precisely the same as the holes 14, 15, 16 and 17 on card 11.

The cards as described thus far are coniplete and capable of use for the purposes intended so long as the number of' pieces of goods to be recorded thereon does not exceed the capacity ofthe spaces on the card, i. e. on the cards as shorm 10,000 pieces with an accuracy of one-tenth of one per cent., but to enable the cards to be used where the number of pieces to be used is greater than the capacity of the spaces on the card as num bered, I provide each card with an index figure and marginal index which l will new describe.

Cards of a capacity of from 10 to 10,000 pieces are provided with the index figure zero as seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 at 31, 32 and 33 respectively, and for convenience this index iigure is put on the card in four places and is made as conspicuous as possible. Cards with a capacity of from 10,000 to 20,000 pieces are provided with the index figure 1 (see Fig. 4) cards with a capacity of from 20,000 to 30,000 pieces have the index figure 2 (see Fig. 5) ,cards with a capacity of from 30,000 to 40,000 pieces have the index figure 3 (see Fig. 6); and the index figure is increased one for each additional 10,000 pieces of increased capacity, for these cards.

On each side of the card is placed a marginal index, which differs according to the number of pieces which it is intended that the card shall be used to record. The marginal indices on the two margins of the card are also different. Thus on a card intended to be used for records of pieces up to 10,000 and having the index figure H0, the left hand column ofthe marginal index at the left hand edge of the cards contains the figures 0, 1, 2, 3, etc., reading down, said figures being, after the zero, the ordinary series of digits beginning with one. The second column of this left hand marginal index contains two zeros and thereafter the series of digits 1, 2, 3, etc. Both columns of the marginal index on the right hand side of this card (see Fig. 1 contain the same series of figures, to wit, 0, 1, 2, 3, etc. Above each left hand column of any marginal index and below the index figure appear the words Used with, while above the right hand column is the word Prefix. For convenience of reference i designate the column containing the words Used with as the first column, and the other column the prefix column, and the figures in the said columns l call respectively the Hfirst column figures, and the prefix figures. The figures in the left hand or first column of the marginal indices of any card refer to the large index numerals found in the corners of the cards with which the said card is to be used, while the figures in the prefix column indicate the digits to be prefixed to the result obtained by reading through the corner hole in the manner described.

The marginal index figures of the other cards are follow,`

index figure 1 (see Fig. 4) left hand marginal index, first column figures 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., prex 0, 0, 1, 2, 3, etc.

Index figure 1, (see 4) right hand marginal index, first column figures, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., prefix 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.

Index figure 2, (see Fig. 5) left hand marginal index, first column figures 2, 3, 4, 5, etc., prefix figure 0, 0, 1, 2, 3, etc.

index figure 2 (see Fig. 5) right hand mar ginal index, first column figures 2, 3, 4, 5, etc., prefix figures 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.

index figure 3 (see Fig. 6) left hand marginal index, first column figures 3, 4, 5, 6, etc., refix figures 0, 0, 1, 2, 3.

innex figure 3 (see Fig. 6) right hand inarginal index, first column ngures 3, 4, 5, 6, etc., prefix figures 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the first column figures of both marginal indices on any card are the same and that they begin with the same number as that which forms the index figure at the four corners of the card; also that the prefix column figures for the left-hand marginal indices are the same on all the cards, being 0, 0, 1, 2, 3, etc., and that the prefix column figures of the right hand marginal indices are the same on all the cards, being 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. These marginal indices and index figures enable the user to determine a prefix which shall be added to the apparent reading on the card to determine the actual reading. Or stated in another manner, the index figure and marginal index says to the user H'1l/'lien card 3 is used with card 0 pre'fxx 2 if reading through a hole adjacent the left hand marginal index, or if reading through a hole adjacent the right hand marginal index prefix 3.

The operation of my perpetual inventory will now be briefiy described. As goods are ordered, the number of pieces is punched on card 11 (Fig. 1), being added to the number already punched on the card in case goods have been already ordered. ln each case, the punch mark is made in the space next below the number to be designated thereby, so that the number in the space next above a given punch mark is the total number of pieces ordered up to the time when the punch mark was made. In Fig. 1, the punch mark 100 indicates that 1150 pieces were ordered, the punch mark 101 that the next order which was for 7 80 pieces brought the total of pieces ordered up to 1930; and punch mark 102 indicates a total of 6650 pieces ordered, this order being for 4720 pieces, This punching of the cardsof the perpetual inventory may be performed by the operator without the assistance of any device to guide him in determining the location of each'punch mark, but it is conveniently accomplished by the superpositionof another card, which is the voucher for the order, upon the card 11, the two being punched together. In the present application I. have not shown this nor the manner of performing this operation as the use of another card to guide in punching the holes in the inventory card is not essential to my present invention and is fully described in various Letters Patent of the United States heretofore granted to me and applications therefor, heretofore iiled by me, as for instance in the application 'filed by me Feb. 28, 1906, bearing Serial No. 303418. My present invention has nothing to do with these other cards or the method of using them.

On the card 19 (see Fig. 2) on which is kept the record of goods received, there appear three punch marks 200, 201, and 202 indicating that 280 pieces were received first, then 620, and then 1150 on the next, making in all 2050.

On the card 21 (see Fig. 3) on which is kept the record of goods shipped four punch marks 300, 301, 302 and 303, indicating that the totals of goods shipped has been successively 150, 350, 710, and 1200 pieces.

The three cards just described contain di rect records of the number of pieces ordered (card 11, Fig. 1); the number' of pieces re ceived at the stock room on the orders recorded on card 11 (card 19, Fig. 2); and the number of pieces shipped from the goods in the stock room (card 21, Fig. 3). By comparing cards 11 (Fig. 1) and 19 (Fig. 2), the number of pieces ordered but not received may be determined; by comparing cards 19 (Fig. 2) and 21 (Fig. 3), the number of pieces on hand may be found; and by comparing cards 11 (Fig. 1) and 21 (Fig. 3) the amount which the orders exceed the shipments may be determined. These pieces of comparative information may be obtained by superposing one card of a pair of the cards on the other with the last punch marks in registration with each other and reading the number on the lower card which shows through whichever of the corner holes falls within the field of the lower card. This operation may be seen in Fig. 7 where the card shown in Fig. 3, upon which the goods shipped are recorded, is superposed en the card shown in Fig. 2 upon which the goods received are recorded for the purpose of determining the number of pieces on hand. In Fig. 7 ,'card 21 is shown as superposed upon card 19 with the punch mark 303 on card 21 in registration with the punch mark 202 on card 19. It will be seen that the number 850 is to be seen through the hole 28, this being the only one of the four corner holes which falls within the printed 'field of card 19. This shows that there are 850 pieces on hand. This result may be verified by observing that punch mark 202 on card 19 shows that a total of 2050 pieces had been received while punch mark 303 on card 21 shows that 1200 pieces have been shipped, leaving on hand the difference between 2050 and 1200 or 850 pieces.

The operation of the cards when the number of pieces recorded is more than 10,000 may be seen by reference to Fig. 8. ln that figure card 400 is shown as punched at 401 to indicate that 30,920 pieces have been ordered. This is shown by the index 'ligure 3 which stands `for 30,000 apieces and the figure 920 which is next above the punch mark 401. To determine the amount which the orders exceed the shipments, the card 21, punched at 303 to indicate 1200 pieces shipped, is superposed on card 400 as seen in Fig. 8 with the punch mark 303 in registration with the punch mark 401. When this is done, the result is read through the corner hole 30, this being the only one of the corner holes 27, 28, 29, and 30 which falls within the printed field of the card 400. It will be seen that 9720 is the number visible through the corner hole 30. As this computation is being made with cards, one of which has a value of more than 10,000 pieces, it is necessary to use the marginal index to obtain the true result, this being the purpose of the index gures. The marginal index next to the corner hole 30 is the one to be employed. Freni this it is found that when a card with the index ligure 3 is used with a card having index figure 0, it is necessary to prefix the figure 2 to the apparent result to obtain the true result. In this case the apparent result is 9720, and therefore the true result is 29,720 being the number of pieces by which the orders exceed the shipments. The accuracy of this result may be seen by subtracting 1200 from 30,920.

The cards are similarly employed for all the cases with which they are used. The card having the lowest total number recorded thereon is always placed on top of the card having the highest total number recorded thereon. The result is read through whichever of the four corner holes falls on the lield of the under-card, and the true result obtained from the reading or apparent result by the use of the marginal index which is on the side of the card next to the corner hole through which the reading is made.

What I claim is:

1. The perpetual inventory comprising two or more cards provided with spaces of uniform size arranged in columns of equal height and provided with numbers forming soY a predetermined path in said spaces, a hole an arithmetic series, said numbers following l a predetermined path in said spaces, a hole in each card in the space next preceding the first of said numbered spaces and another hole in each card adjacent another space which is at a predetermined distance along said path from said first-mentioned sp ace.

2. The perpetual inventory comprising two or more cards of distinctive character provided with spaces of uniform size arranged in columns of equal height and provided with numbers forming an arithmetic series, said numbers following a predetermined path in said spaces, a hole in each card in the space next preceding the rst of said numbered spaces and another hole in each card adjacent another space which is at a predetermined distance along said path from said first mentioned space.

3. A'perpetual inventory comprising two or more cards provided with spaces of uniform size arranged in columns of equal height and provided with numbers forming an arithmetic series, said numbers following in each card in the space next preceding the first of said numbered spaces and another hole in each card adjacent another space which is at a predetermined distance along said path from said first mentioned space, said holes being of a size sumcient to permit the number in one of the said spaces to be read dtherethrough when the cards are superose p 4. A perpetual inventory comprising two or more cards of distinctive character provided with spaces of uniform size arranged in columns of e ual height and provided with numbers to inc icate numbers of units, said numbers forming an arithmetic series and following a predetermined path in said spaces, two holes in each card, one in the space next preceding the rst of said numbered spaces and the other of said holes adjacent another space which is at a predetermined distance along said path from said first mentioned space, and punch marks in each card indieating the total number of units recorded thereon.

5. A perpetual inventory comprising two l or more cards provided with spaces of uniform size arranged in columns of equal height and provided with numbers forming an arithmetic series, said numbers following a predetermined path in said spaces, each card being provided with a different index figure and each card having a marginal index cornprising two sets of figures, one set of figures being a series, the first number of which is the saine as the index figure of the cardY upon which the marginal index appears.

6. A perpetual inventory comprising two or more cards provided with spaces of uniform size arranged in columns of equal height and provided with numbers forming an arithmetic series, said numbers following a predetermined path in said spaces, four holes in each card, the first of which is located in the space next preceding the first of said numbered spaces, the second of which is located in the side margin of the card and adjacent another space which is at a predetermined distance along said path from said first mentioned space, the third of which is located in the space next beyond the highest numbered space, and the fourth of which is located adjacent a space preceding in said path said highest numbered space by a distance equal to said predetermined distance.

7. A perpetual inventory comprising two or more cards provided with spaces of uniform size arranged in columns of equal height and provided with numbers forming an arithmetic series, said numbers following a predetermined path in said spaces, a different index figure for each card, four holes in each card, the iirst of which is located in the space next preceding the first of said numbered spaces, the second of which is located in the side margin of the card and adjacent another space which is at a predetermined distance along said path from said first` mentioned space, the third of which is located in the space next beyond the highest numbered space, and the fourth of which is located adjacent a space preceding in said path said highest numbered space by a distance equal to said predetermined distance.

8. The perpetual inventory comprising two or more cards provided with spaces of uniform size arrangedin columns of equal height and providedwith numbers forming an arithmetic series, said numbers following a path which begins at the bottom of the right hand column, and then follows up said column, then up the other columns and ends at the top of the left hand column, a hole in each card just below the rst numbered space thereof, and another hole in the side lmargin and adjacent the top space of the first column of spaces.

In testimony whereof i afiix my signature 1n presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD C. ALBREE.

Witnesses:

GEORGE S. DIKE, ALICE H. MoRRIsoN. 

